Folks, There was actually a similar prototype problem on a logging line up north many years ago. Seems every year there was a caterpillar migration across the railroads tracks causing all hell to break loose as well as the adhesion of said lines locomotives. Sanding was useless. Talk about slicker than deer guts on a door knob!. Anyway, the head fitter back in the shops devised a cure. He rigged up a valve to a pair of steam pipes to the front of the locomotive and aimed right at each rail head. That's right, caterpillars steamed to a fare-thee-well. The hot steam would blow the critters off and clean the rails well enough to get the train up the line. The news even reached Scientific American Magazine which produced an article in, if I recall correctly, 1924. GaryB
